Stockholm 100 Metro Challenge FKT Report
The Challenge
What started as an idea to connect every Stockholm metro station into a single running route became one of the most memorable challenges I've ever undertaken.
On 29th May 2026, I set out to complete the Stockholm 100 Metro Challenge, an FKT route designed to visit every metro station in Stockholm.
The challenge was created to encourage people to explore Stockholm through movement. Whether somebody chooses to run a few stations, complete a single line or attempt the entire route, the goal was simple: get outside, move more and discover parts of Stockholm you might never otherwise visit.
To complete the challenge correctly, every station must be visited in the correct order. Missing a station or visiting them out of sequence would invalidate the attempt.
The route starts at T-Centralen, the heart of Stockholm's metro network, and finishes at Slussen, a central meeting point that felt like a fitting place to complete the challenge.
The Statistics
- Distance: 162.12km
- Time: 22 hours 12 minutes 40 seconds
- Moving Time: 18 hours 9 minutes 55 seconds
- Elevation Gain: 1,786m
- Metro Stations Visited: 100
- Calories used: 11,993
- Date: 29–30 May 2026
- Support Runners: 9
- Start: T-Centralen
- Finish: Slussen
Visiting 100 stations sounds simple on paper. In reality it meant navigating across the entire Stockholm road network connecting the metro stations, through city streets, suburbs, industrial areas, forests, waterfront paths and residential neighbourhoods, often while tired, thirsty and trying not to miss a single station – not forgetting any technical issues that may occur!
The Start (0-42km)
I started at T-Centralen at 1800 on Friday 29th May. Oskar was there to film the start of the run and Clara started the run with me aiming to run all the way to Hasselby Strand – 23 stations. We talked for a little before the start and it was getting hot standing in the sun with the crowds of Sergels torg around us. When 1800 hit we waited for the green pedestrian light crossing Klarabergsgatan and I gave Oskar the thumbs up to say we’re off and I started my watch. I forgot to take what became a customary selfie at each of the stations at T-Centralen but that was the start.
We ran up Drottninggatan which was jam packed with commuters on their way home, shoppers coming in for the afternoon sun as well as tourists. We hit the first station, took a selfie and the crowds were a little better away from Drottninggatan but it was still busy until we managed to get out of the city.
First Major Challenge – Navigation Failure
I realised after we were supposed to take our first turn that my turning instructions on my watch were not working. What initially seemed like a minor inconvenience would become one of the defining challenges of the entire run.
Somewhere along the way when I downloaded the GPX route to my watch via Garmin Connect it mustn't have downloaded the turn-by-turn navigation. This turned out to be a huge problem. Running around 100 metro stations involves countless turns and I had planned to rely solely on the watch for guidance. It vibrates approximately 40m before a turn is required and the battery life on the watch is great.
At first I wasn't too worried because I knew the opening section from a test run earlier in the year. However, as the route progressed, I found myself constantly checking Google Maps, Instagram posts and screenshots to confirm station order and turns.
It wasn't just costing time.
It was costing mental energy and wasn’t incredibly safe to be running whilst looking at your phone - nor was I good company for Clara.
Instead of focusing on running efficiently, I was continually thinking about navigation, route order and battery life. Looking back, this was the biggest challenge of the entire run.
I also realised my phone battery was draining very quickly due to using it more than I had envisaged. I decided to take some screenshots of the social media posts and instead of checking Instagram all the time I just looked at my photos which seemed to help the battery life somewhat. I also tried to put a few stations into Google Maps at once however the app sometimes deleted the routes so I was wasting even more time at each stop. It was perhaps only a minute or two at each stop but this added up over the course of the whole route.
Hasselby Strand to Dawn (25 - 70km)
Clara and I made it all the way to Hasselby Strand and it was starting to cool down. We were slightly ahead of schedule. At this stage I had some blisters on my two toes next to my big toes. They were annoying and as part of things going wrong I wasn’t too pleased but had other things to concentrate on. I sat down at Hasselby Strand once Clara got on the tube back home and checked the route over to the blue line – there was a small detour to a McDonalds planned as well which was not on the original route.
On the way over I needed a toilet break so found a Stora Coop on the way and went there. I was going to buy a drink but the queue was too big so carried on running. I took a while trying to navigate across one of the main roads as I saw the McDonalds sign but once in McDonalds it was a welcome reprieve. This was just under a third of the way and I wanted to make sure I left here when I was supposed to in order to hit the schedule for the rest of the day as it was planned that I would meet up with other people. I left pretty much bang on schedule at 2345 after eating a burger, fries and a coke.
Whilst in McDonalds I changed into my night gear – long sleeve t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms. Once leaving McDonalds it was dark but the streets were mostly well lit so I never needed to use my head torch which I borrowed from a friend. I had been charging my mobile whilst carrying it in my hand from Hasselby Strand and put the charging block and cable away when I left McDonalds which helped me enjoy the running a little more.
There were still plenty of people about and it was great to see the suburbs of Stockholm where it was still vibrant. Due to the lovely summer weather I imagine more people than normal were still out late into the night. As I moved closer into Stockholm and it got later it also started to get quieter.
At station 36, Västra skogen, I took my selfie and I was just starting to think how lonely it was becoming after sharing so many selfies with Clara and out popped Christoffer who had come all the way from Södertälje to join me for a training run in the middle of the night. He ran with me until Bergshamra, circa 10km. Seeing Christoffer standing there with a smile on his face at around 0100 genuinely lifted my spirits. Up until that point I had been mentally preparing myself for a long lonely stretch north of Stockholm. Suddenly I had company, conversation and something else to focus on besides the kilometres still ahead. It was a pleasant surprise as it helped me to keep my pace up and helped my mood.
After Christoffer left around 0145 I got to Danderyds Sjukhus to the minute of when I was supposed to be there – 0200.
What Went Right
At this stage there were already plenty of things going well:
- The weather was excellent.
- I was on schedule.
- My legs felt strong.
- The blisters were manageable.
- Clara and Christoffer had helped me get through the first 25 – 50% of the challenge.
- Despite the navigation issues, I was still moving efficiently.
One of the lessons from long-distance running is that things rarely go perfectly. The key is recognising what is still working and building from there.
I carried on running only really stopping to sort out navigation. I was looking for a toilet for quite some time and eventually found one before Östermalmstorg. No toilet paper but luckily I had packed some in my bag. Running through the hoards of people around this area coming out of clubs surrounded by police was a sight at 0330 in the morning!
I was looking forward to getting to Gamla Stan as the sun was rising and I had planned to meet Oskar.
The Water Crisis (70-90km)
The sunrise at Gamla Stan was one of the highlights of the entire challenge. The light reflecting off the still water reminded me exactly why I enjoy creating these adventures. I stopped to take my selife together with a photo of the view and then got my pineapple pieces out. As I prepared to film my first live update (which was long overdue) I spotted Oskar walking towards me with his camera. I put my phone away and let the master work his magic - this is where we took some nice videos with the water at Gamla Stan in the background. It was so quiet here but the second we wanted to film the video of me running up the steps a lady came and walked up them so slowly! It was annoying at the time but I suppose it gave Oskar a little more time to prep and me a little longer break.
However, shortly afterwards I made what was probably my biggest mistake of the run.
I passed an open 7-Eleven near Mariatorget but decided not to stop because I assumed I would find another shop shortly afterwards as this one was on the other side of the road.
I didn't find one.
Before long I was completely out of water and it was getting hotter as the morning sun started rising further.
My Google Maps during this period also decided to take me over a different bridge to get off Södermalm to Liljeholmen station and before I realised I’d already gone about 500 – 750m out of my way but it was still better to turn back than carry on.
At first I wasn't too concerned about the lack of shops, but as the temperature started rising and the kilometres ticked by, I realised I had made a serious error.
The situation became increasingly frustrating. I was running through residential areas actively looking for anywhere to refill my bottles. Every closed shop felt like a setback.
Eventually I messaged my friend Rolo at around 0530.
Fortunately, he was awake or at least he said he was.
Looking back, that message probably saved me from turning a manageable problem into a major one.
South Stockholm (90 - 130km)
I arranged to meet Rolo at Fruängen at just after 0600 with cold water and coke. He brought 2l of Vitamin Well and 2 x 500ml of Coke. I tried to make sure I didn’t drink it too quickly as it may have upset my tummy further. I stopped for ten minutes or so at Fruängen and chatted with Rolo. I then set off again. I knew I’d be meeting another friend, Jonathan at around 0800 so was pushing on to see whether I could make it to Masmo which is where I expected to be at around 0800.
I’d been desperate to go to the toilet for quite a while but was making good time. However when I got to Skärholmen I was due to visit Vårberg next and my Google Maps took me very close to Vårby Gård station which was actually my next stop after Vårberg. I realised the mistake and I had to back track to Vårberg – this was disappointing as it probably added close to 2km onto my route. I was disappointed when I realised the mistake and you can see this in my selfie at Vårberg. Every extra kilometre felt harder than it should have because I knew it wasn't taking me closer to the finish. The challenge wasn't the distance itself - it was knowing the extra distance was unnecessary.
By this point I had been running for under 14 hours and was looking forward to some familiar company. I metup with Jonathan at Vårby Gård which was a pleasure to see him. We ran to Masmo and I saw a sign for a Max fast food restaurant. It was 0810 but it was closed until 1000. Jonathan kindly told the manager (who was there preparing for the day) what I was doing and asked if I could use the toilet. He kindly let me in the back and I went to the toilet and freshened up including getting out of my night clothes into some fresh underwear, shorts, t-shirt and socks. I filled up my water to the top of the 2l bladder to make sure I didn’t run out again. I had been wanting a burger and fries to eat but the refreshing change of clothes had to do. When I was finished we set off to Alby – we were getting close to the end of the red line.
We made it to Hallunda and I put in the navigation to Norsborg but it seemed to be taking us in a strange direction. I did not think too much of it and we were about to head off but Jonathan had started talking to a lady at the bus stop and we decided to ask her the way. She pointed the total opposite direction of where Google Maps was taking us but I was too tired to argue and thought we should be trusting the local in this situation. I’m glad we did. A short 900m run to Norsborg in the total opposite direction of where I was heading was a great relief and seemed to boost my spirits. If we had taken the wrong direction it would have added over 3km onto the route.
We ran to Fittja and I needed the toilet again but another Max restaurant we passed was closed and the garage I saw was one without a shop/toilet so we kept running. Fittja centrum – at last we went into the shopping centre but the toilet was closed and we were advised to go to the local restaurant at the end of the building – but that was closed until 1100 and no cafes in sight! Jonathan had been selling me on how good a cup of tea was for an upset tummy but nowhere to get one.
Well just keep running.
We actually then passed the same Max restaurant I went to the toilet at Masmo and it was 0955 so I ordered a hamburger and coke on the app, waited for the doors to open and then went to the toilet. I then ate the burger and had my drink. We then set off and we started walking. There was a long climb out of Masmo but at least we were now headed to the green lines over at Hagsätra. This was an 11km stretch with no stations to tick off so I knew it was going to be hard mentally. It was starting to get hot and the traffic was picking up. This was probably a bit of a low point for me but Jonathan kept muttering the words “consistent effort” which seemed to help my tummy issues a bit as it was difficult when I was pushing up the hills. So we slowed the pace going up the hills and he gave me a Rennie at some point. It was perhaps getting the hamburger in as well but the tummy issues dissipated somewhat.
The Final Green Lines (130-149km)
One of the biggest positives of the challenge was the number of people who joined throughout the route. Every fresh pair of legs brought new energy and new conversation. What could have become a lonely 22-hour run instead felt like a moving community event.
Once we hit Hagsätra we were ticking the stations off but it was annoying having to stop at each station to get directions to the next. As we were just following one line at a time now, rather than running between lines (as we had been doing on the red lines) it was easier to know what rough direction we were going in which was good but Google Maps wasn’t playing ball sometimes.
We got to Stureby and this friendly face said hi. I remember saying quite bluntly who are you. I need to apologise to Keith for my bluntness. He ran with us for a while and it was great to see somebody come along for the journey with us who I hadn’t met before the day.
We kept pushing through the heat and met Alva, Albin and Maria at Sockenplan which was another welcome sight. Their fresh legs and discussion were a great benefit to keeping the momentum going.
Keith and Albin left us around Bagarmossen where there was a big Saturday morning market on and Kevin joined us at Skarpnäck at the end of this particular green line. It was great to have another new face and fresh pair of legs.
The Run Home (149-162km)
We made our way to the final line at Farsta strand and this was the home straight. We started the final 13km into Slussen about 2 hours behind schedule which was not too bad considering the tummy and technical issues.
Oskar met us at Farsta and took some more videos and we were stopping to get drinks quite often at this stage to keep hydrated.
At Hökarängen seeing my wife Anna, the children, Rolo and his wife, Anna waiting for us was one of the highlights of the day. It only lasted a minute, but those moments give you a huge lift when you've already spent the best part of a day on your feet. This helped give some more momentum but by this stretch I knew we were nearly finished. The main issue at this point was the sweat dripping off my head especially into my eyes and being able to use the phone when my hands were so sweaty. The phone battery was fading too. I had thought about charging it but it was difficult to see in the sun how much battery power was left.
We made it to Tallkrogen and an old friend, Nabaz and Charlotte, met us there with Nabaz running the final stretch with us. Nabaz helped guide the next few stops which meant I didn’t have to look at my phone but the phone battery died around Gullmarsplan which meant we had to use other people’s phone for selfies – Kevin and Nabaz still need some more lessons in selfie taking! After Gullmarsplan Maria took over navigation and it felt good to be doing the final stretch past Globen into Söder where the Stockholm Marathon was finishing off for some of the runners.
As we were a couple of hours later than schedule the expected crowds and road closures had reduced considerably so it was easier to make our way down Götgatan towards Slussen than I had anticipated.
It felt good to be at the final stretch leading up the hill towards Slussen, which I’ve walked so many times but never with 162km of journey in my legs. I felt I could have sprinted at this point but I wanted to keep with the team, the people who helped me get through this event during the day. It felt buzzing to be rounding the corner down into the square at Slussen and seeing my family and friends waiting for us to finish.
Once the photos were taken and the congratulations exchanged, I remember feeling a mixture of relief, pride and curiosity. Relief that I'd completed the challenge, pride that so many people had become part of it, and curiosity about how much faster and smoother the route could be with better navigation and planning.
Strava tells me I finished the run in 22 hours 12 minutes and 40 seconds with moving pace of 18 hours 9 minutes and 55 seconds. 2 hours over schedule but 2 hours under the 24 hour target. Overall the run was a success – I got to see Stockholm from a different view point, I got to meet new people and hopefully by DUAROK organising the run we managed to inspire people to run more – I know Kevin is now planning to do some longer runs and if it’s just one person on each challenge we inspire it’s one more person who is leading a healthier and better life!
What Went Right
Looking back, there were many things that contributed to a successful finish:
- Nine people joined parts of the route.
- The weather stayed dry.
- No major injuries occurred.
- My legs held up remarkably well.
- Family and friends provided encouragement throughout the day.
- The challenge generated content and awareness for DUAROK.
- Most importantly, I successfully visited all 100 stations in order and completed the route.
Not everything went to plan, but enough things went right to keep moving forward and with the wisdom of Jonathan during the last 50km this will be the main thing to take away - to always keep moving forward.
Reflections
I believe I could significantly improve the time in the future.
Better navigation alone would save a substantial amount of time. Better planning around toilet stops, food and water replenishment would also make a noticeable difference.
However, that's not really what I'll remember.
What I'll remember are the people.
Clara’s presence at the beginning of the journey.
The surprise appearance of Christoffer in the middle of the night.
Oskar turning up at sunrise.
Rolo rescuing me with Vitaminwell.
Jonathan helping me through a difficult section.
Keith introducing himself and joining the challenge.
Alva, Albin, Maria, Kevin, Nabaz and Charlotte bringing fresh energy exactly when it was needed.
And finally seeing family and friends waiting at Slussen after more than 22 hours on my feet.
Twenty-two hours earlier I had stood outside T-Centralen wondering how the day would unfold.
It didn't go to plan.
My navigation failed.
I ran out of fluids.
I got lost more than once.
My phone battery died.
I spent far too much time looking for toilets.
Yet somehow those problems became part of the adventure.
The Stockholm 100 Metro Challenge wasn't really about visiting 100 metro stations.
It was about bringing people together, exploring Stockholm from a different perspective and proving that big challenges become possible when you break them down into small steps.
Or in this case, one station at a time.
If DUAROK managed to inspire even one person to move more, run further or attempt something they once thought was impossible, then the challenge was a success.
Key Takeaways For Future Attempts
- Check toilet locations in advance.
- Check replenishment locations and opening hours.
- Consider using a support crew.
- Triple-check GPX navigation before starting.
- Carry backup navigation options.
- Monitor phone battery carefully.
- Build flexibility into your schedule for unexpected delays.
Although I thought I had optimised the original planning route it obviously wasn’t fully optimised and must have included some inefficient transitions between stations. By taking slightly different lines on the day (thanks to Google Maps) I actually covered around 8km less while still visiting all 100 stations in order and taking random longer routes, also partly due to Google Maps. I believe I could have saved a further 5km had I not made several navigation errors throughout the challenge and fully optimised the GPX route ahead of the day. Something I might plan for another go.
As with all my FKT attempts, if anybody is considering attempting the Stockholm 100 Metro Challenge, feel free to get in touch. I'd be more than happy to offer advice - or even run part of the route with you.
Challenges like this are exactly why DUAROK exists. Not to prove how far one person can run, but to encourage more people to move, explore, connect with others and discover what they're capable of. Whether that's running 5km or 162km, the principle is exactly the same.